<p>This year marks <a href="http://www.starnewsonline.com/section/topic9971"><b>Leland</b></a>'s 25th anniversary, and town officials plan to throw the largest celebration yet.</p><p>"Our citizens expect bigger," Mayor Brenda Bozeman said of the Founder's Day event held every September to celebrate the town's incorporation on Sept. 11, 1989. </p><p>"They feel like we have grown and we can offer something better," Bozeman said.</p><p>Leland residents shouldn't expect a grand celebration just this year. The idea is to expand the 25th anniversary celebration into a regional celebration that will draw people from afar every year.</p><p>"We are trying to take this event to the next level," said Niel Brooks, parks and recreation director.</p><p>The town will hold a meeting at 6 p.m. Thursday at the Town Hall to get input on how to create a bigger and better celebration.</p><p>But there are already ideas circulating among the town council members.</p><p>They include a carnival, musical events and a dedication ceremony to Leland's founders, all in the hopes to create a county fair-like atmosphere. </p><p>"We are looking at pretty significant upgrades and entertainment options than we had in the past," Brooks said.</p><p>The Founder's Day celebration has humble beginnings almost 15 years ago. The event used to be a gathering that included a free barbecue dinner.</p><p>"With the growth of the town, we can't feed almost 15,000 people a free barbecue lunch," Brooks said.</p><p>So it evolved into a festival, moved into fields on Brunswick Forest property and slowly added school and local bands, Brooks said. There are also fireworks.</p><p>Last year, the event attracted about 5,000 people.</p><p>Councilwoman Jane Crowder said it's Leland's signature event. The growth of the celebration makes a statement of what the town has become.</p><p>"We are Leland, so come on over," Crowder said. "We may have been this little area before, but we are a growing town."</p><p><a href="http://www.starnewsonline.com/section/topic9907"><b>Jason Gonzales</b></a>: 343-2075</p><p>On <a href="http://www.starnewsonline.com/section/news41"><b>Twitter</b></a>: @StarNews_Jason</p>